


Reaching You

by Chichirinoda



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-28
Updated: 2008-07-28
Packaged: 2017-10-14 08:32:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/147361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chichirinoda/pseuds/Chichirinoda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zack and Cloud are on the run, and Zack is having trouble coping one dark night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reaching You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://www.insanejournal.com/users/kinkfest/profile)[**kinkfest**](http://www.insanejournal.com/users/kinkfest/), for the prompt: Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - Zack/Cloud - unconscious Cloud - wake up, stay with me, come back.

Three months...ish. Actually, Zack had no real clue how long he'd been running. Last week, or maybe a few weeks ago, he'd ventured into a town to get food and supplies. He had no money, but the SOLDIER eyes and uniform went a long way in some of those conservative, isolated towns. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of those towns tended to talk, so he always saw the helicopters start buzzing around like big black flies if he stayed near one for too long.

Anyway, he'd ventured into this town and saw a newspaper with the date on it. So he knew when it was, then. The trouble was, he wasn't sure how long it had been since that day. He suspected there were times he browned out a bit - not a black out, not a full-on coma, but he'd be thinking hard, and realize that it was really dark, when it had been day a few minutes ago. Or he'd be walking along and realize he didn't know where he was anymore or what direction he was going, because the scenery suddenly looked different and he wasn't sure when it had changed.

Sometimes it seemed like he browned out for longer. But he tried not to think about that. He also tried not to think about what would happen if he went out when he was driving.

It happened less and less frequently now, at least. Not nearly as bad as those first few days, or weeks, when he'd pulled Cloud out of that hellhole and run for their lives.

That gave him hope, sometimes. After all, if he was getting better, didn't that mean that Cloud must be getting better too?

Other times, it was so much harder to cling to that optimism. Even Zack didn't have an infinite supply of that, after all.

Tonight was a rough night, cold and wet, and the weather had sent Zack into a funk so black that he found out exactly what would happen if he browned out while speeding along mountain roads on a bike. Thankfully he'd come back to himself when the bike started skidding over gravel and rocks, and had managed to grab Cloud and jump before it headed over the edge.

The fireball it made when it hit bottom would probably have brought more buzzing helicopters, except that ten minutes later there was this incredible crack of lightning and the skies opened up like Leviathan himself had decided to take exception to their presence on that particular stretch of road.

They took shelter under a rocky overhang, so small that Zack's feet still got soaked, even through the heavy combat boots. He had to pull Cloud into his lap, tuck the smaller boy against him tightly to keep him out of the rain. But at least he could keep him dry - it was all right for Zack to suffer, but he wouldn't let Cloud. He'd already been through so much.

He wrapped his arms tightly around Cloud, put their faces together so the warmth of their breath would drive a bit of the cold away. From here, he could see that slice of glow coming from under Cloud's eyelids, as if Cloud was just about to open them right up, look at him and smile in that shy, uncertain way he had that always made Zack want to grin right back.

 _He won't open his eyes, though._ The thought struck Zack very clearly, as if some other voice was speaking into his ear instead of it coming from somewhere inside him. _He won't. I could drag him around until the end of the world, and he'll never wake up._

"No," Zack whispered. And he definitely knew he'd been alone too long when he started talking to his own thoughts as if they were enemies or friends. "You'll come back to me, won't you Cloud? Maybe you'll wake up right now."

His arms tightened. Another crash of thunder shook the mountain, and it seemed for a moment that Cloud had jumped, only Zack realized a moment later that _he_ was the one who'd twitched.

"Come on, Cloud," Zack pleaded. "I'm really cracking up here, man. I...I'm alone without you. I need you to snap out of it, okay?"

His tears mingled with the rainwater dripping off of his hair. He lowered his head until their foreheads touched. "What do you want me to do? Please, Cloud, what do you need?"

He swallowed hard around a lump in his throat. "I'll do anything, Gods...you can't just lay around like this forever, okay? It...it's not fair, you laying around all the time while I lug your carcass around." He laughed, making it a joke. "Come on, you can't put that on me forever, right?"

Suddenly an image, probably one that had long ago been lost to the Mako, came to Zack as strongly as if it were happening right now.

He sat on a bed, the arms of his mother cinched warmly around him and her hip pressed against his as she read him a story. He could smell her perfume, taste the cookies they'd had for dessert that night, overlaid with the mint of his toothpaste.

 _"And as the prince kissed her, the princess' lips grew warm and soft, and her eyelids fluttered. His kiss had brought her back from her long, poisoned sleep."_

"Yeah right," Zack murmured. But he leaned close and pressed his lips softly to Cloud's, cupping his head in his hand and pressing against his jaw to tilt his head up just so. He slipped his tongue over Cloud's lips, kissing him like they were warm in bed instead of stuck on some godforsaken rock in the middle of a rainstorm. Kissing him like a lover, like he'd never kissed anyone else and never would kiss anyone else again.

Cloud didn't move. His lips were soft, but it was a slack softness, and his mouth didn't even move against Zack in reflex.

As Zack lifted his head again, he saw that Cloud's arm had shifted, fallen to one side, and water was collecting in his palm from a rivulet cascading from the edge of the overhang. Zack grabbed up his hand and tucked it close. His heart felt like he'd been stabbed with a knife.

"Come on. You can't even tell that water's falling on you? Can't you even move a little, just to show me you're listening?" he said, his voice rising to combat the continuing crash of thunder.

"What's it going to fucking _TAKE_?!"

The sound of his own scream, almost a hysterical pitch, shocked him back into reality.

Hastily, he reached up and stroked Cloud's hair, muttering softly. "I'm sorry, kid, I'm sorry. It's just I'm so lonely. It's not your fault I'm being an asshole. You take your time, okay?"

He closed his eyes. "Just take all the time you need. I'll get you some help." The rain was beginning to slacken, but he was so wet he could barely tell.

"I'm sorry, Cloud," he whispered, rocking the younger man against him, his voice broken with unshed tears. "I'm sorry I'm not enough. I'll get you to someone who is, I promise. If it's the last thing I do, I'll bring you to someone who can reach you."


End file.
